Hi everyone,
I have a rental and some potential tenants are interested in putting Pergo flooring in instead of carpet in the living room, dining area, kitchen, and family room, in exchange for a rent reduction and signing a two year, rather than a one year, lease. Currently the kitchen has vinyl (I always forget the real name for the flooring that isn’t actually linoleum . . . I hope vinyl?) and the rest of the spaces have carpet. The carpet will most likely need to be replaced anyway before anyone could move in. I have no experience with laminate flooring, so I was wondering about cost, whether it would be a nice improvement to the property, whether it would hold up with renters, etc. etc. Any insight would be very welcome.
Replies
Unless they are carpenters or flooring installers, do not let them do it themselves. Having recently looked at a whole lot of houses for my daughter, every one of them having diy lam. flooring installs, it actually subtracts from the value. In every kitchen dishwashers were trapped. Gaps and piled on trim were along most walls.
A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I used Pergo to cover a vinyl floor a couple years ago - sounds like a similar situation. It's tough enough to stand up to use, and cheaper than hardwood.
Are the tenants putting it down themselves? For one room, I wouldn't worry too much - the material is cheap enough that even if you have to remove it when they move out, your not that much behind where you'd be if you installed cheap carpet not. The places that weekend handymen might have trouble are the edges, especially if the walls are straight and square (how old is the house?) If they start with a full width strip it's hit or miss on how wide the last strip on the other side of the room is going to be. Also, make sure they either remove the baseboard and reinstall after, or add a shoe molding to cover the edge gap.
Overall, Pergo is really designed for homeowner installation, so it is hard to really screw up, and I see it as an upgrade over carpet (but personally, I hate carpet.)
We installed Pergo on the second floor of our 1903 house in N. NJ before we sold it last year. My wife loved it, (piece of cake to clean), and I loved it because my allergy issues went away. I do a fair amount of woodworking and this not so tough. But I have seen others do very sloppy work. The product itself is worthwhile."The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a governmental program" -Ronald Reagan
What I've gathered so far is that I should not allow them to put it in the kitchen, and I should have it professionally done to make sure it looks good/ is properly installed. What's the expected life expectancy on these floors? I might consider paying for it myself and not giving them the rent reduction, but if it's only going to hold up for five years or so in a rental, I dunno about investing the money. Also, any recs on specific laminate flooring companies or designs? I'd really like something that looks as much like hardwood as possible, because I think that's what renters like to see in my area. Thank you all so much! This was my first post and this forum is great.
I have to disagree with the prohibition of laminate in the kitchen...I put laminate in my kitchen (Wilsonart, edge glued, pre-snaplock) about 8 years ago. No issues whatsoever. I ran the flooring up to the appliances and just under the aprons. From there I made runners of the same flooring for the refrigerator, oven, and DW to rest on that ends about 1/4 inch from the floor itself. No trapped appliances and ease of removal for repairs -- nothing is visible. Yes, you have to install shoe moulding to cover the gap that is needed for expnsion, plus any large objects (like a table) may act as an anchor. As others have said, I have seen homeowner installs that draw negative attention with gaps, liberal use of caulk, off-center patterns, and improper use of transition edging.You didn't mention it, but if the rental has living space under the laminate floor, sound may be an issue.
Edited 6/6/2006 4:32 pm ET by peakbagger
Since IM in the rental business and have it in my house , Ill respond.
In my opinion, it was a good idea that didnt work.
Laminate flooring is a solution to a problem but not all that. It lays over wavy floors .
It is not recomended in an area that has water usage. Kitchens, bathrooms , and basements because of moisture. Urine from pets will destroy it . Water can set for some time and not hurt it . I agree with Calvin in that I would do the installation if there was in fact one that takes place.
Heavy grade viynl is the best lanlord choice over wet areas for kitchens and baths over wood floors bar none . You should be able to get 10 years on a rental floor as it will take the abuse of chairs and tables with out foot pads as long as there are no brokem off screws scarring the finish.
Concrete floors moves up to ceramic tile and are the best choice for basements or below grade applications. Top grade concrete will readily accept vct commercial tile and is a solid floor that will go over 10 years as well or longer. The rub on it is that you must strip and finish it every 1 to 2 years. Thats complicated unless you buy a machine or hire it done . Its just too much work with out a stripping machine . I finally bought one and bit the bullet. Its a big enough job with a machine . You can easily spend a day on a good size kitchen flloor if you do it right . That has me thinking the high grade viynls are worth the high cost. However I can still buy vct for around 69 cents per tile which is pretty cheap for the wear factor. Much better than replacing laminate or cheap viynl in 2 to 3 years and with those choices as a lanlord you better figgure on it . Last time I checked , laminate was still well over 2 bucks per foot . You can order it online wholesale and save some money but still its nearly three times the cost of vct.
Like I said earliar floor prep is minimum with laminate and sometimes is a very quick choice for having a house back on line . It serves that problem very well over a bunch of problems on old floors. It doesnt stick to anything and just floats over what ever you have as long as its half way decent which is why its a top rated DIY floor. Excellent choice for "flip this house " customers. Ive used it many times as a cheap and quick way to solve those problems to put a house back up for sale but never a rental.
Tim
Tim
Top grade concrete will readily accept vct commercial tile and is a solid floor that will go over 10 years as well or longer. The rub on it is that you must strip and finish it every 1 to 2 years
I wish my ex-FIL was still alive to show this to him! Man he would use the vct everywhere in his rentals but he would not wax/seal them. I dont think he ever got a floor to last more then 3 years!
I would install it for him and tell him that he needs to have someone come in and put a finish/seal it like they do at K-mart, he never did it and never got any life out of the floors, damn shame, but nobody knew as much as he did!
Doug
Finished a rental earlier this year...Armstrong vinyl in baths and kitchen...1.89 sq ft. Laminate in family room...1.45 sq ft (25 yr mat'l warranty). Berber carpet through out remaining floors, installed...$2500.00. Previous occupants...14 yrs. Due to liability, property manager recommends deferring any work to tenants. Laminate floors in a rental...not in the kitchen nor baths and no dogs (for your floor and their health). But then again...it's your house...you're the boss. Best of Luck!!
rustbucket
Homecenters like to position laminate as a DIY job, but many DIYers don't have the tools or skill to fit laminate into corners or under door jambs. I work for a laminate manufacturer and the chief problems I see with installations is lack of proper expansion at the wall, door jambs, from one room to the next; and second, moisture from slab, basement, etc. I have it in my kitchen for about 9-10 years and it has been a great floor - Pergo (chose between Pergo, Bruce and Wilsonart at that time). There was no snap together floors then, so my floor is edge glued which has stood the test of time from water and I have had no problem with pet urine. Hard to find edge glued laminate today. Our kitchen is where my daughter's puppy slept at night and he wet the floor often before he got trained.
Laminate is a good choice for kitchen, but have it professionally installed. Labor on laminate is cheap and it goes in fast.
Jeff